LOCKING (from the greek word "PLAKOTO"):
The way the stones are moving (including when you roll doubles),
the goal and the end are the same as in backgammon
(you have to bring all stones into your home table and then in your
pocket), you get two points if your opponent has no stones in his pocket
when you have all yours in your pocket.
The main differences are:
- All your stones are initially at the first rank of the table and have
to complete a whole circuit to reach your home table; your opponent has
all his stones in the first rank (rank 24) of your home table
- When a stone is isolated, the opponent' stones can capture.
He simply puts his stone on your stone.
- Your opponent can bring other stones on this ranks which belongs to
him just as he had two stones on it.
- Your stone is locked until there is no more opponent's stones on it.
- Nobody can double the value of the game. It's 1-0 or 2-0.
- If somebody wants to leave the game, it's 2-0 for his opponent.
The other rules are the same, you have to play all possible moves.
Tactically, you should take care of never letting a isolated stone
in your opponent's home table (in your starting table).
A other trick to control the game is to try to get the central ranks 11,
12, 13 and 14)
On a 1-10 scale, let'say that the backgammon's luck rate
is 6/10 and the plakoto's luck rate = 3/10. It is not statistical
but nosemetrical (You use your nose to measure).
In Plakoto, you will soon see that unlike the BACKGAMMON,
when the game seem to be lost, you will lose it in most of
the cases. So doubling is not appropriate for this game.
Sincerely yours,
PASTEELS Jean-Michel (half greek)